La migration comme processus : dynamiques patrimoniales et parcours d'installation des immigrés dans l'Italie moderne (Turin au XVIIIe siècle)

This article focuses on the relationship between the settlement patterns of migrants in 18th century Turin and their decision to keep assets in and relations with their native community. This work investigates how and why migrants in Turin maintained and managed material and immaterial resources in their community, even if they settled in the city. In addition, the paper studies the conditions in which these assets and relationships started to become less important and respectively were sold out and abandoned. Based on a large sample of notarial deeds and by means of a biographic reconstruction methodology, this research shows that the decision to keep assets and relationships which were (quite) far from Turin was strictly connected to specific life phases and situations of migrants. Consequently, these goods were hold up until other needs became prior. In turn, more important investments elsewhere were required. Furthermore, this paper suggests the reliability of studying Old Regime migrations as phenomena in progress, that is, paths realized step by step, which could change over the years with migrants projects and wishes